The Great Rebellious
by Drifts
Summary: Rayquaza. Kyogre & Gurudon. A task placed in the hands of a single girl who has never trained Pokemon in her life... until now. With Magma, Aqua, a shadow Pokemon, and an annoying as all hell sidekick, what could go wrong?
1. Drooling, Snarling Purple Dogthings

**THE GREAT REBELLIOUS**

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Pokémon or any of it's attributes. Only my original characters and takes on Canon characters belong to me. No need to sue me, I don't claim to own it! NOW READ.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER ONE<strong>

**(Drooling, Snarling Purple Dog-things)**

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><p>"<strong>Y<strong>es sir."

Axel stepped back and bowed, showing courtesy to his master. Bruno on the other hand, wasn't so impressed.

"WHAT ABOUT US!" Bruno lurched his left foot forward in rage, fist and jaws clenched.

"WHAT ARE _WE_ SUPPOSED TO GET OUT OF IT? ARE WE JUST SOME FUCKING PUPPET TO YOU? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING TO…"

"_Silence, fool!_" Boomed a lanky man with sleek, black hair tied in a tight ponytail behind his face, and dark, macabre cat eyes as he strutted forward out of the blackness.

"That, or I shall feed you to my dear Borknagar." He leered slightly and rubbed the muzzle of his snarling houndoom as it too, came out of the shadows.

"Ye—ye-yes… Archie—SIR! I mean sir!" Bruno, muscular and raw looking, at times stubborn and too strong for his own good, knew his place, and backed down; his cold brown eyes softening only slightly.

Archie didn't send his carnivorous vermin back as Bruno had hoped, but he relaxed his face to its usual monotone structure.

"Come now Bruno, why so nervous? Just a second ago, my, you most absolutely seemed to think you had the authority of Rayquaza… speaking of which…" He stepped behind the two men, his footsteps echoing on the hollow indigo tiles.

Axel, the more obedient one, stared at the floor in response, where as Bruno, who didn't like the nervous comment, turned around, his sophomoric fury back in full force.

"NOW WHAT! YOU JUST MAKE A REMARK LIKE THAT TO WALK AWAY! WHO'S NEVRVOUS NOW! WHY I OUGHTA…"

Archie faced toward Bruno, smugly. Smoke seemed to be fuming from Bruno's ears, and his gait was unsteady. Borknagar growled and began to reel at Bruno, but Archie put up his hand in protest, and looked back at the plain wall behind him. Using the other unoccupied hand, he took up a switch and immediately, light flashed into the wall as a picture came on screen. A mammoth, blue pokemon appeared, at first seeming to be in a dormant state; however, in an instant, it filled the spot it was residing with a plethora of water, almost enough to drown the entire region. Its eyes glowed red with atrocity, fangs snarling beneath its grimacing lips.

"Do you see my vision now?" Archie beamed. Bruno wasn't satisfied.

"Oh c'mon boss, its just some blue tank that looks like it could really kick some ass…" He took a brief pause and glanced around the room apprehensively. "Err, what I mean to say is, I don't see what it has to do with controlling Rayquaza."

Axel took his gaze off the tile and shuffled around, believing it to be safe. "I agree, sir. What are you trying to say?"

"Kyogre," Archie began, "is the key to making the Earth fit for more…the damp of things, one might say." He took a quick look at his fingers, rubbing the pointer and ring one together, and then sought back at the lively screen. "To awaken that beast…" he heaved thoughtfully, "would ensure a lifetime habitat for those who can step into liquid." He came a bit closer to his confused employees and whispered harshly, "survival of the fittest."

Archie turned off the screen and huddled the two men together. "The power of that sea goddess is unimaginable. I chose you two for this because you are my strongest minions. Gather up the troops. We need to awaken this bastard, do you understand?" Archie cocked his long, thin brow.

"I thought it was female…" Axel commenced, but Bruno nudged him out of the picture, presenting a colossal, conniving smirk.

"Yes, your liege. We most utterly, most _completely_, understand _exactly _what you mean, and we plan to do something about it."

Archie simpered haughtily in reply.

"Excellent."

* * *

><p>"<strong>E<strong>ffing boring this stupid, queer little town is, yeah that's what."

Alcina grumbled to herself as she unpacked her room with the littlest effort possible, throwing her clothes all over & even setting her laptop on her bed, which was really just a black futon (just as she pleased, to her mother, Debra's disdain) lacking any support. Alcina lazily flipped her lengthy chocolate colored hair out of her face as she threw a stuffed Murkrow at random.

"_Oh you'll love it there! It's so quiet and peaceful, away from 'mass herds of civilians' blah, blah, blah _MY ASS!" She tossed her alarm clock somewhere to the left and didn't even move a muscle when it crashed into something fragile. "I didn't think you meant OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF FITCHING NOWHERE DEBRA!" Alcina dumped the rest of her remains in a cumbersome pile and threw the box down the stairs hastily; Alcina traveled light. An irritated cry from down below followed by a colorful array of four letter words ensued almost immediately after.

"Uhh... woops," Alcina blinked and peeked out of her doorway to check on the mystery man from below.

Grunt from beneath the staircase. Alcina scooted a trickle nearer to the stairway, but not close enough to be seen.

"You sure know how to woo a woman with beautiful words, but I think I'm a little too young for you, dude."

The man downstairs scowled in displeasure.

"Look here little miss, I'm just trying to do my job by helping you people move in here, and I have _ENOUGH_ to deal with, constantly being yelled at by that schizoid, obsessive compulsive bit… err… lady… then I'm hit by a box… in the kisser..." He mumbled the last part painfully.

Alcina just shrugged in response, though he couldn't see it.

"Hey man, it was only cardboard. Only cardboard…"

"_Alcina!_ What on Earth…? Are you bothering the movers, _again_?"

Alcina's mother had piercing hazel eyes that could defer even the most malevolent felon in the entire universe… or at least in Hoenn.

"Gack! Where'd _you_ come from?"

Her mother did not reply at her daughter's surprised reaction. Alcina mumbled to herself she should've known better, mothers were sneaky like that, practically appearing and disappearing into thin air and stuff. She continued to debate to herself as the "look" on her mother's face did not change, obviously needing an answer.

"_What!_ It _was_ only cardboard! I'm being of great help to everyone by setting up my room myself, you know. You should be more grateful," Alcina nodded briefly, "Besides… you won't let me take my anger out on you, on my bedroom furniture…"

"Your bedroom furniture?" Her mother rose an eyebrow in amusement.

"_Yes,_ my bedroom furniture, thanks, AND not even on my sad excuse of a father who's not even in the same damn town as us…"

"_Alcina!_"

"Well it's _true!_ If it weren't for him wanting to be interested in pokemon shit in the first place I could've stayed in Johto and…"

"What, and what?"

"Well, _damnit_! I don't know… I mean… c'mon Debra!"

"Don't you call me that. I'm your mother, and I will not tolerate you calling me that and in that awful tone!"

"Yeah, yeah, okay, _mother_, can't I at least take my teen angst out on the douche-lord movers?"

Debra paused and tapped her finger on her chin. "That one you threw the box at did call me a schizophrenic OCD…"

Alcina threw her fists in a kickboxing stance. "See! They're fucking mafia! _I fucking knew it!_ Lemme at 'em!"

Debra pushed her daughters clenched fists away from her face, slightly chuckling as she did so.

"Your testimony is amusing, but just because they are foreign to us doesn't mean they're mafia men honey, and please, control your language! You sound like an immature teen, not a lady. You'll never get anywhere speaking like that."

"I am an immature _young adult!_ Seventeen-year-olds aren't ladies, we are young ladies, thank-you-very-much," Alcina stomped her foot. "Anyways, yeah, I figured… _but…_"

"No. Case closed." Alcina's mother gave her another death glare before strutting downstairs, blabbering something to the movers about how the garbage can was turned left instead of right like she _liked it_.

Alcina stalled at the irony of the situation, and then gave her room a once over.

"What a fucking mess. I should clean it before I get lectured again…" she squinted her eyes and scoffed, "Nah. It can wait. I think now would be a good time for me to explore this shithole."

With that statement, she pulled her unruly hair up and twisted a red beret over her head, climbing out the window of her second story chamber.

* * *

><p>"So basically…" Alcina pulled out her map of LittleRoot, marking her general spot (which was in the middle of "town"… if one could even call it that) with her pointer finger, "LittleRoot has one neighborhood, where I live, yep, and um, it has… a lab… some sort of building next to the lab… a lab… a lake… a lab… many trees... and, a lab. Wow. A real thriller!" Alcina took a breath and then threw down her map in vain, thrashing it with her feet.<p>

"_Take that you stupid damn confusing sonofabitch!_ If I can't take my anger out on anyone or anything else, then it's _you_ who shall feel my wrath…"

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP!" A young boy wearing an oversized purple sweater and torn up jeans ran frantically in circles.

"Um…" Alcina had no idea how to react.

"HEY! YOU!"

Alcina blinked. "Me?"

The kid crossed his arms irritated, still fidgeting, "No, the poochyena behind you…" He gasped, "LOOK! THERES A POOCHYENA BEHIND YOU!"

"What's a poochyena?" Alcina asked herself calmly, blinking. She could see by the look on the kids face, it wasn't something cute and fluffy. She panicked, preparing herself for the worst.

"_Oh crap!_ Um… what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! RUNNNN!"

The kid began to stumble away, but turned around one last time to desperately shout, "IF YOU MAKE IT OUT ALIVE… -pant pant- …THERE'S A PACK OF THEM TO THE LEFT! THE PROFESSOR IS BEING RIPPED TO SHREDS! HELP HIMMMM!"

With that he was gone, and a baffled Alcina dared to peek at the drooling, snarling purple dog-thing behind her. She had never seen anything like this before; she obviously knew what pokemon were, but she came from Johto, so any pokemon in Hoenn were, at the present, unknown to her knowledge.

"_Gah!_ Get away from me you dumbfuck!" She kicked the poochyena in the face and ran for her life, unfortunately to the left, which she was trying to avoid in the first place…

"_Hot damn!_ That man's bleeding!"

The "Professor" had a huge gash in his leg, red ooze seeping all over. He didn't look like he was going to make it out of that crowd of wild poochyenas.

"_Holy Rayquaza!_ What am I supposed to do?… _Shit!_"

The professor rose out of the cluster, blood clumps in his scruffy brown hair and blood stains on his white lab coat; he looked ghastly.

Alcina knew the man needed to be in the arms of professional help right away, but even though her dad had been with pokemon often, she never had anything to do with it…

She was hopeless.

"Hey! You! Please!" The professor screeched at Alcina as she stood there, paralyzed in shock. He dodged two of the rabid poochyenas jumping at his kneecaps. "There's a bag…" he ducked again "…over there!"

Alcina spun in circles recklessly.

"LOOK! THE KHAKI BAG BEHIND YOU! PLEASE HEL…" He went under, deep into the abyss of purple fuzz and bloody fangs.

Alcina tried her best to find what she needed. _Bag…hmm...well… there's one…it's khaki… it's a sling bag…there's a pokeball…no…wait…yes? YES! THAT'S IT!_

Alcina rushed over to it and grabbed for the pokeball that had spilled out, but she tripped over it and it rolled down the hill towards the lab; Alcina did _not_ have time to chase after that thing.

"UNMPH!" She kicked the bag in second attempt and surely enough, another pokeball reeled out. Immediately, a flash of pink light turned into a little blue, frog looking pokemon in seconds. Alcina was simply astounded.

"Mud! Mudkip! Kip?"

It seemed to be as puzzled as Alcina.

"I know buddy, um, boy?"

It growled.

"It?"

It growled even more, showing it's sharp little teeth.

"Oh crap, um, Girl?"

The mudkip calmed down and relieved, Alcina pointed to the chaos going on right next to them.

"That man needs help!" It didn't look like it understood. Alcina gritted her teeth in frustration. Why couldn't all pokémon be psychics and make everything so much easier?

"Attack those rabid pokemon!"

It stood there and blinked. Alcina fumed.

"ATTACKATTACKATTACKATTACK!" Alcina was quite annoyed by now, and it showed in her expression. The mudkip ran out of there before anyone could say 'ralts.'

A few water sprinkles came down on the pack, and they backed off a bit, but it didn't seem to be enough. Mudkip tried again, unfortunately, to the same result. The brave little pokemon took its chances, glowing red and sprinting furiously at the poochyenas. However, it was apparent something, or someone, else's assistance would be needed...

"Tree! Ko!" A lizard looking pokemon cried, its miniature (yet sharp) claws poking out of its fingers as it leaped towards the enemy.

"Scratch them up, Reefer!" A muscular kid with a red bandana and shoulder length, dirty blonde hair stood there in triumph. "That'll teach them to mess with my father."

Alcina shook her head in disbelief. "Your _father_?"

He looked at Alcina nonchalantly. "Yes ma'am, he's my father…" he looked her up and down and she lowered her eyebrows at him "…and I'm Brendan Birch."

Alcina huffed cantankerously, but he didn't seem intimidated.

"Who exactly are you, you fine, pretty lady?"

She crossed her arms, annoyed. "I'm Alcina, last name not important, and I think you should treat me with a little more respect, because if it weren't for me, your father might be dead."

He stopped smiling instantly. "Hey now, that's not funny. _I_ was the one that came and scared those poochyenas off with _my_ treeko. See? Look."

She looked. The Poochyenas were scampering off, knowing that if they stayed any longer they might as well go to the flies. The two tired, little pokemon were trying to comfort the professor who was laying practically unconscious on the ground.

She sneered. "No, _I _was here first with _my_… my …um …pokemon. Yeah."

"What the _hell_?" He gaped his mouth and ran a hand through his shiny mane. "That's _your _mudkip?"

They stood in silence monitoring the mudkip. _Mudkip!_ Alcina straightened up with a tad more confidence.

"Um, yes, that is mine, not yours. I'm afraid you'll... uh… have to get your own now. Mudkip that is. Mmhm."

He scoffed. "That's impossible. There's only one of those kind of pokemon each: Treeko, Mudkip, and Torchic. They just happen to belong to my father, the _professor_… so, the only way you could have one of them is… damn! You must have stolen it."

Alcina stomped her foot in oblivion. "WHAT THE HELL! I'm not a damn stealer! Your father… oh, excuse me, the _professor _asked me to grab a pokeball out of his bag when he was being attacked. I was just strolling by, since I just moved here and all…"

"Well that explains a lot."

"Shut up! Anyways yeah, and I did as he asked, but the one I first had in mind had rolled away… _hey!_ Wait a minute! That means you must have stolen that treefy… trofo? Troloko? Treeso? Um…"

"Treeko, and I didn't steal it. That's ridiculous. The professor is my _father_, you moron."

"Yeah, yeah, _shut up!_ I knew that… treeko… was its species. Right."

They paused, and after about fifteen seconds she leaped after him heedlessly, going straight for his throat.

"_You stupid bastard!_ Maybe if your brain was as big as your ego you would be somebody in life, _but no,_ you live in this crap ass little town _and…_"

"Brendan… Bren…" A raspy voice huffed from away.

"Father!" Brendan practically shoved Alcina to the ground, not being able to forgive the guilt that had weld up inside him at that very moment; _he had forgotten his father. Over a stupid girl… a stupid, blasphemous moron who probably couldn't tell the difference between a Magikarp and a Gyrados._

"Hey pops, how are you?" The professor grunted in pain as Brendan put his hands under his fathers limp figure, attempting to lift him up from the ground.

"Ungh, damnit, he's too heavy, and, hell, there's blood _everywhere_…" He set his father down in defeat.

"I'm going to need some help here… Reefer? Mudkip?" The two pokemon shook their heads; they were too petite, and too weakened by the recent skirmish.

"Hey…" Alcina plopped in the mud next to Brendan. He winced.

"Listen darling, I don't think this is the job for you. Why don't you take you and your little red dress and those little smooth legs out of here, I would think you wouldn't want to get them dirty now."

Alcina had to restrain a lot not to slug him right then and there. Looks didn't have _anything_ to do with a person's inner strength! She took a deep breath, her olive eyes shimmering with exasperation.

"Okay, _'darling'._" Alcina sat on her knees as Brendan glared at her. "I have probably been through just as much shit as you have, so why don't _you_ listen up."

Brenden tried to protest, but she kept talking.

"Even though I really, _really_, shouldn't be helping you, I know that the professor isn't a complete jerk off waste of life like you… and… _hell we've wasted enough time!_" She stood up abruptly, brushing the dirt off her knees. She then bent over slightly, and took firm hold of the professor's feet.

"C'mon," Alcina coaxed. "With the two of us carrying him, it shouldn't be that hard."

Brendan nodded firmly and thus began the effigy.

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><p><em>AN: Hey readers, this is a re-write of a story I published under a different name and a different username back in '06 (can't remember how to get into the damn thing so here I am). I have changed a few things as far as diction and the heroines name, but other than that, it is basically the same. It's based loosely off of the SapphireRuby/Emerald series, which in my personal opinion, was my favorite! Please drop me a constructive review, or be shy and don't, but i'd rather hear from you. Thanks!_


	2. What in Rayquaza

**CHAPTER TWO**

**(What in Rayquaza)**

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><p><strong>I<strong>t wasn't as easy as they had thought it to be.

"Man, I _really_ should have known better…" Alcina mumbled as they struggled to hold him up.

"ARRGH! Almost…grunt…there…"

Alcina and Brendan gritted their teeth and mustered up all the strength they could as they lifted the seemingly lifeless man.

"Got it!" Brendan grunted. He was in fact rather muscular, and he had no trouble holding up the professor (once Alcina had aided him in picking Birch off of the ground, of course) with just his elbows placed complacently under his father's arms.

Alcina, not wanting to let this boy get too hard headed, went over and assisted him.

"Okay, let's carry him back to… to um…"

"The lab."

Brendan finished her sentence casually, and Alcina shut her mouth, nodding slightly.

"His assistant is also specialized in human healing. Don't worry, well, I mean worry, but…" his eyes intensified, and Alcina hung on his every word.

"This isn't the first time this has happened."

They began to walk down the hill. Mudkip and Reefer the treeko, who were goofing around as most young pokemon do, obediently followed the pair. Alcina was sincerely surprised.

"Wait… what did you say?"

She revolted her head at him, expecting them to lock eyes, but he kept his gaze on their destination ahead.

"You said… that this has happened… _before_?" She hesitated briefly. "I don't understand."

Brendan scoffed, but not rudely. "Yes, of course it has. He's a _professor_. Working out in the field, especially with evolved species, can be very perilous, even… even _fatal_."

He gulped and said no more. Alcina made an almost inaudible "oh" and they strolled on, in silence.

It was better that way.

* * *

><p>"Brendan?" The professor whispered painfully. His eyes besieged to open, just to see the two silhouettes that were standing by his side, and the short, stubby one that seemed to be performing some sort of operation on him.<p>

"AGH!" He stifled in agony as feeling rushed through his body once more.

_Feeling_. Memory. _What had happened? Oh the hurt, so horrible… pinching… in my… veins. _He flinched, and the stubby feature, which had started to grow a nose and two beady eyes protected by thick spectacles, seemed to gasp in surprise.

"Is he awake?" A female voice spoke tenderly.

_Female. Female? _Professor Birch couldn't recall the last time he had been with another woman. Ever since his wife had passed away, his work and his son had become his life. He felt a pang in his heart. It was probably just another one of Brendan's many girlfriends. He tried to take a look at her, just in case, but he couldn't move anything. _Too painful._

"Look, he twitched!" A young male spoke.

_Brendan. His_ _son_. The professor tried with all his might to sit up this time, but it was too unfeasible.

"He's really twitchin' now! He's trying to move!" Brendan had a look of hope on his face.

"C'mon man," he made a gesture at Peter, Birch's number one assistant, and smiled optimistically, "Let's bring him back up."

Peter nodded swiftly and plugged in the machine that the professor was hooked up to, pushing and turning some knobs. He then mentioned Brendan over to the device (which started screeching ear splittingly) as he adjusted the wires attached to Birch. Brendan glanced at the machine and then back up questioningly at Peter.

"What voltage should I put this on!" He shouted over the roaring of the machine.

Alcina swore she could see the professor rolling his neck to the side, his blood splotched face squinting and cringing in terrible pain.

"Whatever needs to be done!" Peter looked up at the ceiling, as the room seemed to be shaking. "Try 160 volts!"

Brendan snapped his head towards the ever-busy Peter, his lengthy hair falling brutally over his face. Submissively, he turned back to the instrument and switched a few buttons.

"Alright! It's done!"

Him and Peter went vertically to the two opposite sides of the platform Birch was laying on.

"Alcina!"

Alcina, who was quite enthralled by their work in this life and death situation, shot her head up at the two men.

"Yeah?" She smiled thinly.

Brendan, his face dripping with sweat, took his left hand and ran it across his forehead, staring sternly at Alcina, "I'd backup… backup _very_ far away… if I were you."

Without question, Alcina raced away and cowered over into the farthest corner of viewing distance as electricity surged throughout the lab.

* * *

><p><em>Darkness. Earlier it was…light out…<em>

"Oh…" Professor Birch moaned._ What in Rayquaza's name is going on here? _He tried to sit up. It stung a bit, but he pushed with all his might; he _had_ to know what the hell was happening. Birch struggled, quenching his face in utter soreness.

After five minutes of brutal stubbornness, inner and outer strength, he finally steadied himself so he could sit on his behind… but he couldn't see _any_thing. _Where was he?_

"I hear something!" A whispery voice that seemed to be _indefinitely_ far away, but was really only in the next room, cried in an upbeat manner.

"Oh c'mon, Bren-dumb. It's probably just your imagination... that is, if you even _have_ one," A girl replied uncannily.

_The girl! _The one that Birch seemed to recall as the one he had heard some time ago… a distinct voice… memory raced through him, _yes_, but… it was before he was knocked out cold… or warm? _Heat._ The professor wheezed distraughtly for air… his temperature was beyond boiling, and his throat was rather abrasive and arid. He tried to speak; it sounded like a dying lombre.

"He… hel…" He gasped for oxygen, clutching his raw throat with crimson stained hands. He felt a cool liquid harden on his collarbone. _Liquid? _Birch found this to be odd. He was sweating but… sweat didn't solidify. He checked just in case, and even if he couldn't see, he could smell, which was exactly what he did.

"Blood?" He sniffed again and took a small taste. Good Rayquaza, it was blood! Thankfully, most of it had coagulated by now, yet still… why? He was… _bleeding_? What exactly had happened to make him feel so damned ill…

"Professor? _Oh you're awake!_ Thank Rayquaza!"

A squeaky voice resonated in his ears. It sounded like, no, could it be? _Peter_?

A light switch turned on somewhere, but he still couldn't see too well. Things were hazy; he was rather lightheaded.

He heard heavy footsteps racing around in frenzy. Ah yes, it _was_ Peter. Birch laughed to himself, even though it was more like a sickly hiss.

"Professor? Can you see?" No reply. Peter straightened his thick spectacles and laughed whole-heartedly.

"Oh my! Silly me, of course you can't see! Posh… what a mess… hoot…" Peter started to curse to himself as he turned the temperature down at seeing the professors violent shaking and sweating, which the Professor was unaware of himself.

Peter came back over to the Professor, and removed the wet cloth that had been placed over his face after the shock therapy. Peter tried his best not to wince at all the sweat and blood stains on it.

"Well then… let me fetch you a new one Professor," He ran off.

_Finally_. Birch could see. Even so, his eyes felt weary and crusty. He still wanted to ask what had went on, his memory had failed him thus far, but he knew the consequence of speaking, and decided to stay quiet.

"Meowth got your tongue?" The girl spoke. She rolled a cart over by his bedside and a mudkip… whom seemed vaguely familiar… handed him a warm cup of tea that stung his eyes.

He squeaked an "ouch."

"Ouch?" Alcina was confused.

Birch tried his best to smile so she wouldn't feel bad, he supposed she didn't realize that the warm smoke hovering over the glass had hurt him.

Alcina attempted to bow her head in respect, but tripped backwards instead, almost toppling the metal cart over. She dashed away while muttering "oh, crap" rather loudly as she crashed into more objects from afar.

Birch chuckled to himself again and took a sip.

"PBBTHT!" He spat it out. _Paralyze Heal?_ What the _hell_ was Peter thinking? No _wonder_ it was a struggle to move about! He had been _paralyzed_? He pushed his brain, desperately scavenging to remember what had put him in this horrid state.

"Oh, is the tea that bad?" Peter frowned as he walked over, returning from his duty. Birch shook his head and Peter sensitively pressed the cool cloth on the professor.

Birch squinted and mouthed _why in Rayquaza's name is there paralyze heal in this tea? _Even so Peter didn't seem to comprehend.

"Very well sir, I know it's hot, but um… the paralyze heal should kick in very soon, especially after a shock treatment like that!" He patted the professor kindly and walked towards the exit.

_Shock treatment? _Birch narrowed his brow. What _other_ possible things could have happened to him while his brain was on lock-down?

"Oh! By the way, don't you worry about all your research from yesterday. We were so very lucky to recover it all!" Smiling cheekily, Peter shut the door tightly. Birch almost spat out his tea a second time.

_Research! _The pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together.

"About time," Birch grinned and gingerly sipped his remedy.


	3. Onion Pikachus

**CHAPTER THREE**

**(Onion Pikachus)**

* * *

><p>"<strong>K<strong>eep it moving! We're almost there!" Shouted a tall female clad in a tight, leather body suit. Her short red hair hung entirely over one side of her face, covering whatever scars lay behind there.

The sky was a grisly indigo, and smoke clung about the burgundy cliffs sticking out from above the ground. An army clothed in red and black robes marched on much like a toy soldier set, so perfectly macabre, not stopping to blink; they only would if their prey had fallen into their trap.

The woman, whose intense, lime green eyes seemed to knock anybody dead in their tracks, practically exploded when they laid sight on the tropical clearing. A red dragon, _Latias_, was flying in circles around the colossal cliffs that transcended over the passageway like a goliath shadow.

"There it is!" She cried victoriously. The army faced the enemy and scurried about, hiding in different areas that shaded them until they were ready to attack.

"Hold your fire!" She barked, and began to walk toward the unknowing beast, pulling out her black rifle that was _surely_ bigger than she was.

"This is going to be my task… Archie can't do anything to get in my way of this. I'm going to acquire that blue orb no matter _what_," she sneered to herself quietly.

The creature caught her standing there, with the bulky item looming over her right shoulder. It began to fly around faster, creating a challenge for her.

"Oh, you son of a gun, you think you're so much more clever than me, eh?" She pulled the trigger, "Well clever this, dragon-god."

A blaze of menacing fire carrying the bullet hounded after Latias, ripping it spot on the side of its body. Its devious expression turned into a tangled strain as it descended from the sky, plopping into the hot sand, crimson blood pouring out of the wound. Large chunks of the cliff started flying at the army from its downfall. An insuperable cloud of sand shrouded the atmosphere, sounds of the creatures heaving cries beseeching as the sandstorm cleared.

The woman merely coughed, looking at Latias with seething vain, not an ounce of pity present. She gave the creature an once-over, and then turned to her army that was crowding around the entrance.

"Bring the net! We have to get this thing back to our lair as soon as possible!"

Twenty or so of the soldiers passed the mesh up to the front of the herd. All rushed over to the creature, placing the wire netting over the wounded being.

The beast started to screech as the sharp steel cut deeper into its gash, thrashing about like a fish out of water before it's last breath.

"Take it to the lair, NOW!" The woman hollered and began to take another route higher into the mountain.

One of the soldiers dropped the netting, as the rest of them struggled to drag it back through the caverns they had surpassed to come up here.

"Maxie!" He panted, "Where are you going?"

She halted, and without turning around breathed, "I have some other… _personal_… business to attend to."

With that statement, she strode away, her gangly figure disappearing completely from sight.

* * *

><p><em>Shaking rapture. A violent storm. No… earthquake …something … quaking… so malevolent…<em>

"_Alcina! _GET THE FUCK UP!" A deep, masculine voice barked.

"Nuh…" Alcina peeled her face off the sticky tile, at first thinking she was in some dream. The chilled, solid ground beneath her felt alien, and not like home.

"Onion Pikachus." She blurted and sleepily opened her eyelids. "Where am I… who are…"

"Mudkip! WATERGUN!"

Alcina's eyes shot wide open and she bound off the ground in a matter of seconds.

"GAH! OKAY OKAY OKAY! DAMNIT! IM AWAKE, IM AWAKE! I KNOW WHO I AM! I AM ALCINA! RIGHT… right… um…"

She blinked as she saw Brendan standing pompously before her, his lips starting to quiver.

"Oh, crap."

He started laughing hysterically. Alcina on the other hand, did not find this funny.

"Oh, you _are_ cute when you're mad," he snickered in between breaths.

Alcina made squinty eyes at him as the little pokemon ran over to hug her ankle.

"You douche canoe..." she growled playfully, pointing at the boy with a smirk on his face. "First of all, I'm not '_cute_' thank-you-very-much, and second… I am _so_ going to get you back, you just wait and…"

"Good morning!" A man in a long white lab coat bellowed cheerfully, stepping into the room.

He came over to Brendan and gave him a slight hug, "Son."

He then walked over to Alcina, who felt lost, yet again.

"Hello, Alcina. I believe we have yet to make a formal introduction…" Birch went and shook her hand tenderly, mainly because her shake was a non-existent limp.

Alcina was really damn confused.

"Um… but… oh, crap… you… know me?… How… and… but… sick… you were… you... were…"

He laughed with a good nature as Alcina babbled like a baby togepi.

"Yes, of course I remember, how could I forget?" He grinned.

Alcina felt like she was drowning in stupidity. "Erm… really? Uh… but how… how…"

He gave a sweet chuckle in response.

"It took me all night to figure it out, but with a few little clues here and there, I was able to place the pieces of the puzzle together," he paused attentively. "That's how it is in the life of a professor. Deductive reasoning, critical thinking." He rubbed his hands together and nodded in agreement with himself.

"Err… yes, yes, indeed, here-here, to critical reasoning and deductive saving the Proof, I say!" Alcina cheered, thrusting a toast with an invisible glass into the air.

Silence. No one had cheered to her applause. After some awkward stillness, Birch and his son burst into another fit of chaotic laughter.

She started thinking something was seriously wrong with this family. Maybe they needed professional help… or more shock treatments.

Birch calmed down and returned to his studious, jovial nature.

"Why of course, child! You saved me from my horrid accident…"

"As did I!" Brendan interrupted, glaring at Alcina in annoyance. She gladly returned the favor.

"As did you, son… but… hmm…" He sighed. "That Mudkip seems to really like you, Alcina."

She looked down at the slimy pokemon clinging to her leg.

"Um… really?"

Brendan snorted and she leered back at him.

"Oh right! I… uh… like her too," she gave a dry grin, "a lot."

"Excellent!" Birch nodded and smiled benignly, "then she's all yours! All you need to do is give her a name."

"_WHAT!_" Alcina and Brendan yelled in unison.

"Is there a problem?" He questioned complacently.

"YES!" "NO!"

"NO!" "YEAH..."

"NO…" "YES!"

"Moron…"

"Asshole…"

Alcina and Brendan refused to look at each other any longer.

"Come on, you two, you are too old for that nonsense…" Birch shook his head, considering scolding them, but in the end decided to proceed on with his task.

"Anyways, Brendan, don't fret, I am also giving you a pokemon of your own."

"All right, sick! Thanks pops!"

"Why of course…"

"Did you say, sick?" Alcina interrupted Professor Birch. Brendan acted like it was nothing and she was mentally deficient.

"I did."

She grunted. "So… you're saying that you having your own pokemon is… sick?"

Brendan nodded haughtily.

"As in a disease? Like… Pokérus or…"

"_Woah woah woah!_ I mean sick as in like cool, rad, sweet…" he tilted his chin at Alcina, "do you _ever_ think before you talk?"

She blinked as she usually did when her brain was taking its leisurely time to process.

"Well…"

Brendan mumbled something about her being a stupid moron and ran a hand through his slick hair, then thoroughly brushed it with his fingers. Alcina wanted so badly for mudkip… _her_ mudkip, to chop it all off.

"Your hair looks nice," Alcina lied.

Brendan smirked nonchalantly, "I know."

"Why don't you stop playing with it then? It hurts my eyes."

He scowled and an impatient Birch split the two of them up before Brendan could give his retaliation.

"Alright, alright you two, _enough_ already!" The professor huffed and went a few steps away, grabbed something, and came back to them… holding ten pokeballs in his previously empty arms.

"Five for you each!" He presented the items. "If you two are going to further help me with my research, then you need to complete the Pokédex, which means you'll need these!"

"WHAT!" The two teens shouted in unison once more. Birch chuckled as if this wasn't out of the blue.

"After the vigor you two showed in saving my life, which I thank you again for such, I would love for you both to be regular helpers around my lab. However, I think that journeying across the region and earning the gym badges would be your best bet to show that you can handle such a feat, especially after seeing how I fare on a daily basis..."

Brenden opened his, overly large, Alcina noted, jaw to protest, but Birch continued on before his son could say otherwise.

"...And no Brenden, just because you're my son doesn't mean you don't have to earn the respect of the gym leaders any less than the rest of Hoenn. I have spoiled you for too long, and for Rayquaza's sakes, stop using your treeko to bully and devour the weak pokemon in the area! I need them for my field studies!"

Brenden simply scowled at his father, not wanting to dig himself any deeper, and crossed his arms in defeat.

Alcina just stared at them blankly. "Um… you know… if I'm going somewhere…" she trailed off, reeling from bewilderment.

Birch inquired her remark, "Yes Alcina?"

She bit her lip, "Doesn't my mom need to know something about this? I mean I bet she had no idea where I was all night…"

"Already taken care of!" Peter appeared out of nowhere, and Alcina almost shouted in surprise.

"What? Uh… how… but… where…"

Peter and Birch chuckled in unison. Peter fixed his glasses nervously, which he tended to do often.

"She was very pleased with Professor Birch's offer, and said that you need to work more with pokemon, something about your father?"

Alcina barred her teeth subconsciously as Peter's face began to turn a light pink in surprise.

"Oh Rayquaza... um, anyways, she said to take this with you, and to say goodbye before you leave…"

Alcina, dumbfounded, took the black sling-bag Peter had presented her with. When she looked to question him further, and perhaps pummel him into the ground for mentioning her father, he had gone. Meanwhile, Birch was turned around to an impatient Brendan.

"_Excuse_ me, chicky," Brendan pushed Alcina out of the way and took his share casually. He opened one ball to find his treeko inside. The treeko croaked unamusedly and Brenden sulked a bit.

"What the… dad… _man!_ Reefer was _already_ my pokemon. You said I could have a _new_ one."

Birch laughed thinly. "No, Brendan, I said you could have your _own_… and you _do_ have your own pokemon," he smiled mischeviously.

Brendan plopped himself on one of the counters behind them, staring at the floor.

"Hah-hah, very funny…" He mumbled.

Alcina, who was tired of all this arguing that seemed to be happening in her life constantly, glanced at the red and white spheres Birch was holding.

"Oh, crap…"

Birch's expression turned a bit grim. "Is something the matter?"

Alcina sighed despondently. "Yes… no… well… maybe. I mean, my father works with pokemon but _me_…? I don't know anything about 'em…"

She took five of the pokeballs appreciatively and looked Birch dead in the eye.

"How do I use these things?"

* * *

><p>"Let me run through this <em>again<em> with you, okay?"

The wind blew past, carrying a sigh from two young teens who were stretched out in the pastures on the outskirts of Petalburg, rather depressed about the day's antics. The tall, green grass blew passively around them; the pure blue sky was without a cloud in sight.

"You… are… not… going… to… lose… your… personal… life… because… of… me!" Alcina finished the end part cheerily, which made Brendan want to push her into the lake even more than ever.

_She's probably too stupid to swim, let alone float in water,_ Brendan mused, then scoffed.

"You are a _stupid moron_. You take _too long _to learn things."

"_Hey!_ That's not true!" Alcina growled wrathfully. "It didn't take me _that _long to learn how to train my mudkip and to use a pokeball…"

"Ten year olds all across the region do this faster than you, _and_ you still haven't even named your starter," Brendan snorted.

"_So what! _I want a name that's better than Reefer!" Brenden shot Alcina a death glare she pretended not to notice._ "_Plus, I was busy learning how to use those damn torture devices. I mean it didn't take a whole day… see! Look at the sign over there!"

She pointed to a sign a few feet ahead of them that read 'NEXT TOWN: 10 MILES.' He overlooked it and slumped. She shook him violently as he buried his face into his kneecaps.

"Brenden!" She spoke through gritted jaws, "We are almost to…" Alcina trailed off and pulled up her map swiftly, "Rustoburo!"

Brendan groggily brought his head up. He looked terribly tired. She tried her best to comfort him.

"Yeah! You see, after that, um, scary looking forest over there… we'll be in Rustoberry! Yay!"

"Rustoburo," Brendan corrected her mundanely.

"Um… right… well, anyways, like I said before, it didn't take me _that_ long to learn how to catch a pokemon and train it, I mean I know I almost killed that bird thing… not starmie but… the uh, starly, right, so you had to take over, but it only took me…" she began counting on her fingers, and Brendan, irritated, stood up and strolled off.

"HEY ASSHOLE! BRENDAN! YOU CANT RUN OFF WITHOUT ME! WE'RE PARTNERS!" Alcina sprung up off the ground, her fists clenched in fury.

"That bastard. He better be worth this…" she muttered to herself as she began to scurry behind him. He kept a deliberate pace ahead, for she was chasing after him for who knows how long; she sure as hell wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. Alcina was content just as long as he was there to show her the way. She was roped into all this because of his father, after all.

"Brendan! I'm sorry if I annoyed you! I'm new at this! Brendan please listen! Brendan… damnit! I really am sorry, so yeah, you can stop running away from me anytime now! Please, Brendan, please…"

She came to a halt and paused. Two inches from her face, Alcina realized, she was near a shrine, a small beige stone shrine that was glowing a magnificent pastel grey. Everywhere else seemed a collapsed black, towering pine trees hovering over her vulnerable body. Why she had halted, she supposed, was some force that held her back from bumping into this spiritual monument. Alcina felt a wave of another spirit pass through her body. Alcina jumped back and shivered so sadistically, she fell rear down on the ground. The shrine began to glow even more, the luminous substance flying around in viscous swirls. They reached for Alcina, but suddenly diffused out just as they were going to wrap around her. She saw a soaring creature rise from the spot, it's eyes closed. It had long, green mane, vicious red eyes and seemed to be wearing a pink and white gown, although that was just it's body.

"_Gardevior_…" It chanted in a long whisper, floating around Alcina for a few minutes. Alcina had no clue what to do, under normal circumstances she would have tried to capture it, but she was mesmerized… possibly even a bit possessed.

It kissed Alcina on the forehead, and faded away.

This wouldn't be the last time she saw this mysterious creature.


	4. Welcome to Rustoberry

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**(Welcome to Rustoberry)**

* * *

><p>"<strong>I <strong>can't… no… it's not possible… everything… it was… oh _hell_…"

A man, who looked rather ludicrous, with his jelled back chestnut hair and fancy attire, was pacing frantically around the corner, barely visible through the thicket of trees.

Alcina rubbed her forehead & steadied herself up to see there was no shrine in sight. _Had she dreamt it all? _Alcina shook her head and span around in a befuddled manner.

"What in the…"

The man butted in front of her, oblivious to everything, continuing to talk to himself.

"I can't believe… they can't steal my… I have to… to hide… why now… why…" He tripped over a thick stick between them on the ground, flailing recklessly into Alcina.

"WHA-OW!" She cried, startled, as the man's body crashed into hers.

Alcina wasn't exactly paying attention, for her mind was rather jumbled with thoughts; _where was she to find Brendan, & how, & what exactly had happened to her earlier, was it all a dream or not?_ Nevertheless, they went tumbling over each other.

Alcina pushed the man off hurriedly and scrambled a few inches away as he grunted.

"GET AWAY FROM ME PERV, OR I'LL SEND MY POKÉMON ON YOUR ASS!"

The man just glanced at her blandly. His formerly jelled back mane was hanging dejectedly over his overwrought face.

"It… was… an accident… you see…" He began to crawl upwards but a shiny, onyx boot, with acute spikes on the side, crushed him down. Alcina looked up at the owner of the boot, to see a man clothed in a black and blue robe. His face was covered with a hood from the robe as well, but what she could make out of his face had pure consternation; he did not look friendly _at all_. He frowned forebodingly & kicked the ludicrous man over, placing the heavy boot on his skinny, pale neck.

"You have something I want."

The first man gulped. "No… no… you don't understand… someone else has tried to take… take it from me…"

The other, vile, one pressed his boot deeper into the first man's throat.

"Tell me were it is. Tell me where the Devon Goods are, Talon."

"How… how do you know my…"

He threw his head up in a menacing laugh. "Do you know who I am? Maybe that would hint you… or hinder." His boorish voice deepened smugly.

"Well maybe if you lifted up that stupid hood up over your face he could." Alcina blurted out. She had had _enough_ of this guy.

He kept his position on the unfortunate Talon, yet he still zipped his livid expression towards her. "Who are you exactly? One of Magma's fiends?"

Alcina blinked, "What's a Magma? Is it like a poochyena?"

He laughed cruelly again, stomping over to her. "No, no, that's not right. You're much too young… and stupid…" He suspended. "Unless… unless, you are a decoy in disguise…" He seemed to ignore that thought & proceeded on with his task.

"Little girl, see that man?" He growled at her seriously, pointing at Talon.

"Yep, of course I do, you dumb shit. I knew you were there when we toppled over each other… at least… I'm pretty sure you were, since people like you just don't decide to pop out of nowhere, you wait in the dark and all… but yeah, more precisely if I think about it, Talon… if that's his name… toppled over me first… I was just looking for my friend… and um… um…"

Alcina guzzled and tried to give her nicest smile as the man held a sword up to her throat. She could see up his sleeve, his skinny arm had surprisingly bulky muscles protruding from his skin, which scared her half to death.

"Um… excuse… me… man… sir… uh… could you please… uh… take the sword away from my throat… those happen to be vital organs you know… okay… please…" Alcina flailed her hands in the air, but he didn't move a muscle. "Well… um… could you… just… leave that dude and me alone? We're just regular people… please… we don't have anything you need… want…"

"Listen here, little girl. You better watch your tongue. I have a mission that will benefit many others & _myself_, possibly including you. I _will_ kill you if you stand in my way, you don't matter a thing to me. Got it?"

Normally Alcina was stubborn about her own way, but she wasn't going to get murdered over it. She narrowed her brows at him.

"Fine."

He poked the weapon a bit deeper into her flesh with the tip, and then strode away, back to Talon.

"I…" he opened up his cape, revealing a zubat hidden under his robe, and then closed it back up. He whipped his sword around lethally in the air, jeering with grand pride. "….I am Avalos, from Team Aqua."

He pointed his blade at Alcina and lowered his eyes. "I summon you to a battle."

"TEAM AQUA!" Talon opened his mouth in surprise, and scrambled towards Alcina. "What… what could you possibly want from that girl… from… _me_? Why the Devon Goods? Why…" he scoffed, "…you're just a _grunt_. What is your business with the Devon Corporation?"

Avalos scowled and gritted his teeth. "That matter is not important. Archie, the master of the glorious, all vigorous Team Aqua, sent _me_ on a mission, and it is _my_ job to fulfill it. As of the girl…" he eyed her suspiciously, "she obviously means something to you. If I can destroy her, you can surrender to me."

Talon laughed nervously. "Oh no, no, I don't even know her. You can have the girl, I don't care."

Alcina gave Talon a defiant stare, and Avalos smiled cunningly.

"Well, then, that makes things much easier. I can just kill you, since this girl doesn't know you, or care, either, I presume."

Talon wheezed at the same time Alcina snorted. "If you want the whatever-it-is Goods so badly, why didn't you just kill him in the first place instead of waiting until now?"

Avalos smirked and dug his sword into the dirt, with his two hands placed superciliously over the golden handle. "Well now, what kind of gentleman wouldn't introduce himself before killing his prey?"

Talon's eyes widened & he fell flat on his back, even though he was already crouched up on the forest floor. Alcina wanted him to have a taste of his own medicine, but she was sure that this Team Aqua, whoever they were, had bad intentions. She brought out her mudkip and sighed.

"Last time I checked, gentleman didn't _kill_ people… oh damnit. I'll battle you, Avalos. Bring it on!" She still had little idea on how to battle, but it was worth a shot. Alcina strongly despised people that had major ego trips, like Brendan, which reminded her…

Avalos had a smug look on his face as he sent his zubat forth.

"Well, well. What a nice pokemon. I bet it's rare. Pollux, poison the pokemon!"

His Zubat began spitting poison darts at Alcina's mudkip, and mudkip tried her best to dodge them.

"You sure say _well_ a lot…" She stepped back a bit from the pokemon battle, "anyways, what do you mean it's rare?" Alcina questioned as mudkip spewed muck at the bat creature, able to defend herself without instruction from her helpless trainer.

"I know, yeah, there's only one of it, as far as Brendan told me, but _rare_? It's so small!"

Avalos chuckled deeply. "My girl, small it may be, but when it grows… hmm, yes. Child, if there is only one like it, it is rare. Do you not know the definition of rare? Pollux, confuse it!"

Pollux sent some sort of supersonic wave at mudkip, but it missed. Avalos sneered. "You must be more stupid than I thought."

Alcina, tired of the insults towards her intelligence, commanded her mudkip to beat the shit out of his zubat. Mudkip raced up to the zubat and scratched it up fairly well, and after a matter of moments, the bat creature fell to it's fate, thin lines of wet blood seeping from the little scars Alcina's pokemon had made. Avalos didn't seem devastated. He simply called back his pokemon and bowed.

"You have beat me. Well done."

Talon stood up by Alcina and clung to her like a ravenous leech. She shoved him off and murmured to him coarsely. "Cut it out! You're older than me! Stop being such a big baby!"

Alcina stepped towards Avalos and snapped her fingers "See ya Avalos! You ain't killing anybody today! Peace out!"

He nodded swiftly and walked over to Talon, grabbing him by the shirt collar. "We aren't through with you yet." Avalos whispered vigorously in his ear.

Alcina meanwhile, picked up her pokemon and held her up in the air for a few seconds before putting her on the ground.

"Nice job, Mayumi. That's your name from now on, because you're a brave little fighter!" She patted her newly named mudkip on the head.

Avalos stood there in the distance, watching as Talon clutched his chest gratefully, relieved (for now) and glanced at Alcina, who was putting her mudkip back in its ball. He cowered his brow. "Until our next meet…" Avalos turned around, facing the exit of the forest.

"You_ shall not recognize me_."

* * *

><p>"Good Rayquaza." Alcina breathed, tired of the all the recent action. Talon went over to Alcina and thanked her swiftly, then ran off.<p>

"Um… you're welcome?" Alcina replied a tad too late, and spun around in circles.

"Oh, crap. How the hell am I supposed to get out of here?" Alcina looked for a sign or some sort of exit somewhere, but she couldn't seem to find anything other than dirt and weeds.

"Gah I hate being lost… AHHHH! OH MY RAYQUAZA OH MY RAYQUAZA WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING!"

A worm like pokemon with yellow spores and an orange and white body slinked up her leg, leaving a gooey, stringy substance behind it, much like a slug. She tried kicking it off, but it seemed to take a liking to her.

"MAYUMI, MAYUMI!" Alcina cried as she struggled to find her Pokeball out of panic. After barely grasping it she brought her only pokemon out, cringing in fear and disgust.

"Okay Mayumi, get this weird… slug thing away from me… PRONTO!"

A passer by in a yellow shirt, tacky teal shorts, and a straw hat carrying a bug net laughed and stood in front of her.

"Hello, I'm James!" He smiled kindly and saw the confused mudkip standing by Alcina's side, most likely thinking her trainer was only in need of some company. James scratched his chin.

"You must be new to pokemon, huh?"

Alcina glanced at him apprehensively as the bug pokemon clung to her thigh like it's life depended on it.

"You must be then!" He mused without waiting for an answer and bent over to take a good look at the bug.

Alcina flinched, hardly thinking if he was looking up her dress or not like she normally would. She was more concerned about the bug type; bug types were her on her top ten weaknesses.

"Ah, a wurmple!" James tried to poke it, but Alcina bolted her knee at his wrist.

"Ouch! Alright, alright, I'll leave it alone…" He kept examining it even so.

"You better man, you better," _If that guy tries to get fresh again, I'll kick his nose off instead_. Alcina smirked at the thought.

"Interesting pokemon, wurmples are, yes." He stood up and grinned immensely. "They really aren't that feeble of a creature either, at least, once they evolve!" James erupted into laughter.

Alcina raised an eyebrow in question, as she couldn't find anything funny about a pokemon that evolves, since most of them did anyway.

James reached behind his back and grabbed something. He then held out his bug net like he expected Alcina to jump in it.

"Mind if I take this fellow from you? I collect bug pokemon, and since this little guy looks friendly, I'd appreciate if you let me take him off your hands. I'd hate to hurt another one I may find in order to catch it."

Alcina squinted hesitantly at the pacifist, "Oh no, you are _NOT_ touching my legs!"

James looked surprised for a second and then laughed boisterously. "Oh my, what an expression!"

Alcina blinked and relaxed her face, rubbing her cheeks with her hands to try to soften up the muscles.

"Thurfs nufling wrung wif mufh fdace…" Alcina told James while still massaging her cheeks, making it sound like she had either lost all her teeth or was chewing something.

"No, of course not!" He smiled, yet _again_, and she stopped massaging her cheeks. James sighed.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to touch you or anything like that, but my net might. Just let me have the wurmple crawl into this cradle here, and I'll be on my way. Sound good to you?"

She squinted her eyes again. "Sure, but only if you can show me out of this Rayquaza-awful forest, and into Rustboro, before you go 'on your way' or whatever it is you said."

James put his net on her thigh as the wurmple started to move again, thankfully into his net.

"Gotchya!" He grinned and pulled out a pokeball, which zapped the Wurmple immediately.

Alcina rubbed her forehead in relief. "Um… now that that's over with… are you going to…"

"This way," James mentioned his hand forward and began walking north.

Alcina followed him, her mudkip trailing at her ankles, drooping a bit. "We really need to rest once we get into the city…" Alcina mumbled to herself, trying to steady her posture as she picked up Mayumi, clutching the slimy pokemon to her chest with both arms.

"Hey James, Rustburo is a big city right?"

James glimpsed at her with wide eyes. "Oh yes, one of the biggest in all of Hoenn, aside from perhaps Lilycove and Slateport, but you are far from either of those places."

Alcina groaned. "Gah. I hope I can find a place to stay…"

"Are you a trainer? You get a free night's stay at any Pokémon center, you know," James gave her a concerned look as Alcina swayed around, struggling to walk straight.

"You okay there?"

She shook her head weakly. "Not really. My life has gotten freaky-crazy in the past few days, ever since I moved here, but that's another story for another day…"

She trailed off and they walked the rest of the way in silence.

* * *

><p>Alcina soon noticed the dirt change to grass, and eventually the grass into a wooden bridge, back to grass, and finally into solid marble. Alcina glanced around to see a bustling city surrounded by a tall black gate.<p>

"Welcome to Rustburo!" A man wearing a maroon suit (similar to Talon's royal blue one) opened up the front gates. He smiled at Alcina and James, just a bit _too_ cheerily, his pearl white teeth shining in the bright sunlight.

"Hey!" Alcina perked up and bopped her head around, peering into the man's mouth, "I can see myself in your teeth!"

He closed his jaw and backed up a bit. "Err, yes, very well. Come on in." He gently put his arm around her waist and ushered her into the city.

Alcina turned around, smiling, and waved appreciatively at James and he returned the favor. She watched as the iron gate shut behind her, and James, most likely, walked back to where he was in the first place. The man wearing the maroon suit cleared his throat.

"Might this perhaps be your first visit to Rustburo?"

Alcina pushed him away tentatively. "Um, yes, but I'm only here for a short while. I'm actually looking for someone."

He was about to conduct her to the Pokémon Center at seeing her bruised mudkip, when someone who looked vaguely familiar ran by and pushed the escort away, panting heavily.

"HEY! YOUNG GIRL!" He ran up to Alcina and started shaking her shoulders violently and screaming in her face.

It was Talon. _Big surprise._ The escort just flinched, watching Talon make a scene.

"THEY STOLE IT! THEY STOLE IT! OH NO, OH NO…" He kept hold on her shoulders, but flopped his head down and made crying sounds.

"Wow. Um, I'm sorry?"

He shot his head back up and started shaking Alcina again. "What the hell am I supposed to do about it? Huh? I don't have a Pokémon! I can't battle that man in the blue robe! _WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?_"

Alcina puffed her cheeks in, rather annoyed. "Okay, first of all… _SHUT THE HELL UP!_" Alcina screeched and pushed him off of her. "Second of all, what did this man steal? Was it the same dude as before? What's his face, um, Avanto? Avaton? Afrelon? Afeeros?"

Talon shook his head dejectedly. "Oh, I don't know. He was wearing the same thing, but he was a bit shorter… kind of… chubbier…" He sighed deeply. "He stole what that other man was looking for earlier. It's crucial, so crucial, you have no idea…" Talon grimaced, but then sprung up quickly in excitement, an enormous grin spreading from ear to ear.

"I know!" He cheered and began shaking Alcina again, who was becoming rather dizzy. "You can get it for me!"

He stopped once more, and Alcina cringed, as the city escort scooted away subtly from the drama.

"Huh? Why should I do that? You can do it yourself, for Rayquazas-sakes."

Talon ignored her statement and pointed farther north. "Just keep going up that way until the black gate ends, and the marble turns into grass, and then turn eastward towards the Rusturf Tunnel. That man couldn't have got too far, there are too many workers and he looks suspicious enough. Would you do this for me… for the Devon Corporation, please?"

She blinked. "Um, if there are workers there, can't they do it? Can't someone else in your whatever-it-is corporation do it? Why me? I have shit to do, you know. I don't have all day to be your bitch."

Talon glowered. "Just, please, do it. It's very important that we have that package and that it gets delivered. If someone potentially evil has it, what could possibly happen?"

Alcina sighed, rolled her eyes, and buried her face into her palms. "Gah. Fine, I'll do it. How do I find this damn package again?"

Talon turned his gaze westward, toward the Devon Corporation building. "Hurry up. There isn't alot of time left."

Alcina growled to herself. She really disliked this Talon guy, but he seemed pretty desperate. She decided to be saintly and help him.

"Here I come, Rusturf Tunnel. Hope you're ready."

* * *

><p>Alcina followed Talon's directions exactly, until she came upon a construction sight and a small rest house. Bulky, but sweaty workers were carrying equipment, sitting on equipment, using equipment, and the like. Alcina just stood there as dust and mulch from the manufacturing floated around the atmosphere.<p>

A man with a white bandana and spiky red hair walked by, carrying a yellow drill. He halted in front Alcina when he saw of her.

"Excuse me, darling, but this site is off limits to civilians. You see, we are trying to build a passageway here to Vanderturf, but there have been a few disturbances… lately… anyhow, can I help you?" He grunted as he handed off the drill to another worker.

"Um… yes… can you tell me where Rusturf Tunnel is? I'm supposed to get something from a guy in a blue robe… did you see anyone like that pass through here?"

The worker laughed, throwing his head back. He wiped the bridge of his nose with a sweaty bronze palm. "No, I haven't. He must've taken the high road. Sneaky little bastard." He began to laugh again, until a cat-like Pokemon started prancing around his feet.

"Oh shit! A wild pokemon on the construction site!" He started spinning his head in all sorts of directions.

Mayumi jumped out of Alcina's arms and went to sniff the little creature. Alcina bit her lip.

"Is that a problem or something? I mean dude, what do you expect… those things are like everywhere and stuff…"

He held his fist up inches away from her face. "Listen you, if you can get that Pokemon away from here, I'll let you pass through to Rusturf Tunnel. I'd rather have you go to an off-limit site then see a little harmless skitty get crushed."

Alcina stood still for a moment, and then turned to face her mudkip and the skitty playing around together. Alcina picked up Mayumi again, even as it struggled, and tried to shoo the peach colored cat creature away.

"Go on, nice skitty… bye-bye now… HEY! MAYUMI! BAD! OUCH! THAT HURT DAMNIT!" Alcina nurtured her throbbing arm that her pokemon had bitten as Mayumi jumped out of her grasp once more. Mayumi continued to play with the skitty as Alcina, clutching her turnip red limb, snarled.

"Fine, little pokemon, if you don't want to go nicely, I'll have to get rid of you another way." She brought out a Pokeball and slammed it at the skitty. The sphere rotated and glowed for a few minutes, and finally stopped. She had another companion with her.

"Yeesh, thank Rayquaza that worked." She turned around to see the worker observing her. "Um…"

"All right. You and your mudkip can go through. Hurry up though," he shouted at her as she skipped to the cave, "or else you could get hurt!"

Alcina heeded his warning and traveled into the dark, mysterious Rusturf Tunnel without any concern except to find that package for Talon, get her badge of whatever it was, and to get her ass out of Rustboro.

* * *

><p>Alcina felt a crumbling and heard deep growling sounds inside the cave. She could hardly see with all the green mist hanging around, and it was hard to breathe. Alcina coughed vehemently.<p>

"What kind of weird place is this?"

"Rusturf Tunnel, if you must know. I'm sure you came from Rustboro, you couldn't have just dropped out of thin air, even someone as beautiful as you."

Alcina spun around to see a Brendan grinning roguishly with a hand through his hair, as usual. Alcina gritted her teeth and spoon-fed a mouthful of questions at him.

"BRENDAN BIRCH! YOU COULDN'T TELL IT WAS ME FROM THE BACK? GODAMN IDIOT, AND WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU? YOU RAN AWAY FROM ME AND I GOT LOST! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE ANYWAYS? IT'S OFF LIMITS!"

Brendan's cheeks flushed and he almost toppled over, tripping backwards as she shouted directly in his face, inching closer with every question.

"Alcina?" He waddled to her once she backed off, and he regained his balance. Brendan blinked, in a confused yet smug manner. "What do you mean, what am I doing here? What are _you_ doing here?"

Alcina huffed and crossed her arms. "_I_ happen to be looking for some… guy… uh, in a blue robe who claims he's part of Team Aqua. He stole something important from the Devon Corporation, and the task was handed over to _me_ to take care of."

Brendan looked at her like she just came back from a roundtrip to Giritana's time dimension and back. "Wait… did you say… Team Aqua…"

"Yep."

"Devon Corporation…wants…"

"Uh-huh."

"Important… mission…_you_?"

"Yo, man, do I need to speak in another language? _Coma Estas? Bien?_ Okay, BrenDumb. _Si. Importante._ Yes, I'm serious; _I_ was given an important mission to take care of. What's your deal?"

Brendan scoffed, running his hand through his hair _another_ time.

"No way. That can't be. Why would someone from such an eminent corporation want your help? You're nothing but… but a novice! What's so great about _you_?"

Alcina slammed her right fist into her left palm. "Like hell I'm a novice! So are you, mister Birch. If you had stuck with me, and not ran away like a little bitch, maybe you could understand why _I_ have to do this. It's not like I _wanted_ to or anything. Rayquaza, I'd probably let you do it, but the guy this mysterious person stole from keeps breathing down my neck just because I saved him once from another Team Aqua dude in the Petalburg Woods, _and_…"

"Hold it, hold it, hold it. Let me comprehend your blabber. You said… you _battled_ a member of Team Aqua?"

Alcina nodded and Brendan frowned for a spilt second.

"How in Rayquaza…"

A man in a blue robe jumped lock on in front of the two quarreling teens.

"HIYAH!" He was holding a minor switchblade in his left hand, and had a pokemon, a grimer to be exact, by his other. He grumbled. "Excuse me, I happen to believe you two are in my… way." The guy lifted his hood, revealing a brown, receding hairline; he was rather pale, and the same height as Alcina, who was tall for a girl, but short for a full grown man such as this. He squinted at the pair.

"Step aside, young trainers… or I shall have to deal with you _otherwise_. It won't be pleasant."

Alcina snorted as Brendan took the honor of going up to the mysterious male and protecting Alcina, holding her behind him. Alcina, however, tried to bite him numerous times, as this was her task, and she didn't need this doofus screwing it up. Brendan just ignored her coolly.

"What's your name, shorty?"

The man gave him an offensive glare and growled. "That is none of your business. Besides, I wouldn't be calling me names if I were you, kid."

Brendan was about to pursue more questions, and probably fist this guy, when Alcina punched him in the middle of his spine. She was _finally_ able to take care of her own business.

"Thanks Brendan, how noble of you." She smiled sadistically as he stifled his back in anguish. "I can really take care of myself you know, though, so _you_ just relax and take care of _your_self, okay? Right." Alcna stopped grinning and turned to face the Team Aqua member.

"Um, okay, hi. Uh…"

"_Hi_." He mocked her. "What do you want? I can crush you and your friend in a second, if you two aren't able to abide by my request." He paused to grimace and mumble spitefully. "Get out of my way, _please_." He struggled to say the last part, obviously why he was in a scheming team as it were.

Alcina clenched her jaw and marched closer to him. "Nuh-uh, buddy, it's not going to work that way. You have something that I need back… so, I think, that since it doesn't belong to you, you should give it back… like I just said… and do you really need it anyways? It's not like it's an Ancient Crown or something…"

He doubled over, cackling. "You must be joking. Why would I give it to you? My… pardon, _Team Aqua's_ business with the Devon Goods is not of your concern, nor is it wise of you to meddle…"

"Mayumi, do that mud slap thing, now!" Alcina brought out her mudkip and had it shoot streams of mud at his face. He bended backwards in distress, eyes broad with ire.

"Hot _damn_!" He snarled and regained his posture. "DRACH!" The smelly, gooey grimer slinked its way towards him. "Use sludge on that mudkip, there, now!"

Drach and Mayumi engaged in a tough battle of their own as Alcina started to attack the man for the Goods.

"Are you a –grunt- member of Team Magma, -grunt- perhaps?" He pushed Alcina off him with ease and attempted to throw his switchblade in her throat, but she dodged it. Brendan picked it up as they continued to fight, they being rather unaware of his own plan.

"Someone –ugh- had already asked me that –heave- before…" She rolled under his grasp and stabilized herself behind a rock. She huffed a hefty scoop of air; fighting took up plenty of energy.

"I don't even know what the hell Team Magma is!"

He jumped over the boulder and grabbed her throat; Alcina gurgled, gasping for air.

"Don't lie to me, and I'll let you go." She said nothing. He tightened his grip. "So, now you want to put up a fight? Hah, you _must_ be a member of Team Magma… otherwise, you wouldn't bother trying to take this from me! Why don't you be a good little girl and leave me alone, yes? It won't count against you, I promise."

Alcina tried to kick his crotch, but he dodged and pinned her flat against the cavern wall.

His wrinkled, tense face pressed into hers as he hissed, bolting her in a position where she couldn't move. She was able to glance at her mudkip and the grimer; both looked in fairly bad shape. She tried to scream out to Brendan, wherever the hell he was, thinking he probably ran away again, but the Team Aqua grunt pressed his palm over her lips, his right hand still locking her to the wall.

"I'll say it again… tell me who… where… ugh… ah…" His grip tightened immensely for a split second, only to fall apart limply, his black, coldhearted eyes rolling back into his head. The man, with an opened, drooling mouth, receded into the mud and rock, dead.

Alcina saw dark blood seeping onto the floor, flowing like a little river in drought. She dared not to look up, but couldn't stop herself from finding out who had saved her _this time_. James, again? One of the workers, or that wacko guide in Rustboro? Perhaps, but what would see, she could never believe that person was her savior.

_Brendan Birch._

* * *

><p><em>AN: This is as far as I published back in '06, but I am cleaning up the next chapter that has been rotting on my computer for years and it should be up here soon! Then after that, I'll have to jog my memory a bit... hopefully after the release of B2W2 they'll come out with a re-make of Ruby and Sapphire! Fingers crossed and all that superstitious bull._


	5. Deadly Goods

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**(Deadly Goods)**

* * *

><p><strong>A<strong>lcina was shocked, to say the least. Brendan gazed at the man with utmost hatred.

"Brendan?"

He maneuvered his head slowly to glance at her, and then he looked away.

Alcina released a breath she hadn't realize she'd been holding inside for so long.

"Why… did… I mean… you… how…"

"No sweat. I had to. It was my duty as a decent human being."

Brendan walked over to the man grimly, kicked him to his backside, bended over his deceased cadaver, and reached into his back pocket, pulling out some papers.

"You need this?"

She gulped, and nodded with eclectic eyes, not able to bring herself to say thanks, let alone say _anything_.

She called back her mudkip as the grimer fled into darkness. Brendan grabbed Alcina's arm and pulled her outside, towards to the city of Rustboro.

"C'mon Alcina. It's time for you to finish off what you started."

She gave him a shy glance and he almost laughed.

Alcina looked relieved and sent him a thin smile as they walked. She meanwhile, pondered, but only for a short bit, as it was difficult to enjoy the silence, even though the atmosphere was so peaceful and scenic.

Taillows were chirping peacefully, floating around like elaborate kites in the opaque sky, tracing footsteps of the clouds. It was evening time about now; purple, red-orange, and golden colors shaded the sun. The workers were packing up and heading back; some were inside the rest house drinking and playing cards. Alcina hated to ruin the moment, but it also killed her to not say anything.

"Okay, Birch. There's something you still need to tell me."

Brendan swung his gaze at her in a bemused expression.

"Well, first things first missy… I'd prefer you call me Brendan, I mean, must you always call me by my last name? Man. Though I suppose it is better than Bren-dumb…"

Alcina shot him squinty eyes, almost having a stern look. "Yes. PS; it might help you to know I have a _name_… and it isn't missy nor _man_. I'm not of the male species."

Brendan scoffed. "Well, I have a PS for you too. I have a first name, and it ain't Birch, alright?"

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, something Alcina decided to call _The Brendan._ Alcina couldn't help but to snicker to herself, except for the fact that he had heard her.

"Psh. _Girls_."

Alcina snorted and raised her brow at him perpetually.

"Girls? What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged and clicked his teeth. "Damn confusing sons of bitches, they are."

"So, are you admitting to not liking girls?"

He glanced at her ineptly. "What do you mean? Of course I do. What a moronic question, just like you." He pulled _The Brendan_ and tilted his head to the side.

Alcina chuckled softly. "Then _what_?"

"I don't know it's just like... well... I mean… I really don't know…" He shrugged. "If you're of the female species, why don't _you_ tell _me_."

"Maybe it's just… that you are…" she paused.

Brendan mumbled something about how he never should've kept this conversation going, but then again, anything she said didn't really count as actual, meaningful words…

"...That you're... more fond of the male kind?"

Brendan gave such a look of dismay mixed with bewilderment that Alcina almost coughed up a lung laughing.

"YEAH! THAT'S IT! You like guys… AND you are confused because you haven't found your inner self yet! What would you do without me Birch? You wouldn't know your true self, that's for sure, and you'd be a miserable, lover-less, boy. Yep."

He snarled. "Hah, aren't you clever…"

Alcina tried her best to stop laughing, but all she could do was to speak in between giggles.

Brendan furrowed his forehead. "You said I needed to tell you something… earlier… before you got all unoriginal-comedian on me…"

Alcina quit laughing, her arms paced at a more frantic rate by her sides. "Relax, Brendan. I was _joking_. Like, haha, y'know?" She scratched the top of her head.

"I was just thinking, after all this violence and even… death…" Alcina gulped and glanced at Brendan, who was ignoring her comment with brevity.

"I just thought that perhaps we needed a break from… perhaps…" She sighed deeply, pensively.

Brendan blinked; his olive irises were filled with slight curiosity, but more petulance than anything.

"What? You thought what?"

Alcina shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Ah, just forget it. Anyways, you never told me why you were in Rusturf Tunnel. I mean it's not _that_ big a deal… I'm just curious…"

He grumbled. "I'll tell you _later_."

She disregarded his statement. "…_and_ also wanted to know why you ran off when I was just a little, _teeny, tiny,_ bit confused. It's not like I held a trash bag with you in it that said _'BRENDAN'S LIFE' _and threw it into a lake or whatever. Plus, you totally stranded my ass, and I'm not even from nor familiar with Hoenn! Not fucking cool." She faintly smacked him on the side of the head.

Brendan wasn't exactly willing to reply, and he cringed at her physical reaction. "For the second time, I already told you… _later_…"

He shot his head up in the air and grabbed Alcina's elbow suddenly, just as she was going to pry him further.

"Hey! Look! We're back in Rustburo!"

Just to his luck, when they came upon the bustling metropolis, Talon was waiting impatiently inside the exit gate, pacing around back and forth. This left no time for any more small talk, or any talk for that matter, between the two teens at all. When Alcina and Brendan entered, Talon raced towards Alcina with haste.

"Do you have the Goods? Well?" He vaulted around at seeing the papers safely in her clutch.

"You do have them! Oh, thank Rayquaza!"

Alcina presented them forth, proudly. "Yep, here they are! Nice and safe!"

Talon squeezed her with such momentum they went flying everywhere. Alcina balked, her posture being rather uptight.

"Um… oh, crap. Err… Talon…"

Brendan, baffled, went to pick up the papers, _since_ _wasn't that what Alcina had gone through all the trouble to find in the first place?_

After Talon had calmed down, Brendan handed him the goods. Talon completely ignored Brendan's existence, continuing to praise Alcina.

"Oh thank you! Thank you! You not only saved me once… but… _twice_!"

She rubbed the back of her neck and smiled cautiously. "Um… well, what can I say? I'm a generous kind of girl. Heh."

Brendan gave her a disappointed look and walked off somewhere else. Alcina was eager to chase after him, but Talon grasped her elbow and pulled her closer towards himself instead.

"I just need one other favor from you." He shoved the papers in her face and patted her on the back.

"Um… but… huh?" She glanced at the papers, at him, back at the papers, back at him, back at the papers…

"Is something the matter?" He frowned slightly.

Alcina browsed through the sheets, flipping through each individual page; she couldn't understand what it said, for it was some form of code. She faced him and blinked.

"Well, yeah, I thought once I got these from that Team Aqua thief I was done…"

He smiled and began to circle around her, his hands confidently behind his back.

"Oh, well, you see, this package needs to be delivered to Slateport, and I don't know what I would do if any of those goons attacked me on the way…"

"Fuck! I am so fucking tired of doing these things for you! It's _your_ job! Do it your damn self! I would have _died_ in Rusturf tunnel, if it weren't for that damned Brendan… wherever he is… just… GAH!" Alcina stomped her foot in anguish, wanting nothing more than to squash Talon's brains and his damn papers, too.

Talon stayed calm and rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Please, if you do, the president of the Devon Corporation shall have something very grand to present you… a gift, per chance." He grinned monstrously, thinking he finally had her in his hands.

He didn't.

"You mean… I have to leave right away, and then come back here?"

Talon nodded.

"To… Rustboro?"

He nodded once more.

"_AGAIN_?"

He scratched his chin. "Well, if going back somewhere a second time doesn't also mean going back somewhere again, then…"

"Alright, alright! I get the picture, I was just... um… checking... right."

"So, what do you think about the whole ordeal? Rustboro isn't that bad, now is it?"

"Hello, are you deaf? Is there anyone working the cranium up there, or should I knock on your head and make sure it isn't hollow, because I doubt you've figured that out either? Do I need to tell you a googol time? _What's your damn problem?_" Alcina looked at him with pure revulsion, but he only smiled serenely in return, which made Alcina despise him even more so. She never enjoyed him to begin with, but still preferred him when he was meek. She growled.

"Nothing at all, Alcina, nothing at all. Oh, the Rustoburo question was rhetorical… relax…" He sighed. "I'm rather impatient about these things, I am a working man, you do realize."

"That much is obvious…" Alcina scoffed. "If you're a working man, then why am I doing these jobs _for you_?"

Talon sniffed and faked being disappointed and miserable, but Alcina could tell his phony acting from his real emotions.

"Well, if you can't do this for me, then…" He took a look at his fingers. "…What am I to do? I mean, Alcina, you are so reliable, so strong and brave, not to mention…"

"RARGH!" Alcina ran around up in arms. "Can you stop with the with the asskissing already? I'm going to throw up in my mouth. It isn't helping you, _you do realize_."

Talon shushed her, blatantly overlooking her mockery. "Yes, yes, my deepest apologies, but... you can do this, you must know. You _are_ a very determined and strong-willed lady, I have seen it first hand myself. You've been so gracious so far, you even said it yourself not five minutes ago. You can't beguile yourself to do this one last favor? For a modest man such as myself?"

Alcina's gaze traced to the ground and she bit her lip.

He smiled at detecting her walls cracking. "Anyways, Slateport is overseas, so you'll need to…"

"Overseas!" Alcina's jaw dropped about fifty feet from her chin. "What the hell Talon!"

"That's right, overseas, _but_ I know a man who has a little cottage outside of Petalburg. He would be more than happy to take you out to Slateport and back again, _believe me_."

Alcina wasn't as agitated as before, yet she wasn't fully convinced either.

"Okay that's great, but why in the world would he want to help _me_? _I've_ never helped him before, and I doubt he's just _nice_ like that. Seriously."

"Well, I'll just say he owes me… well, owes some fine members of the Devon Corporation, a favor."

Alcina tugged on her red cotton dress. "I see. What might this favor be… or is that a secret, just like what this…" She shook the parcel in mid-air "…was... _is_ like, no? I mean, it's obvious those Team Aqua men are bad news beartic, but how can I trust you if you don't let me in on some things?"

Talon groaned displeasingly and thrust his back forward in torment. "Listen, I need help, and yes… I have asked you for much in the past for nothing in return, or little information whatsoever, but… what ever happened to the kindness of people? Don't you want to make someone else's day brighter? Don't you want to see a smile replace a frown, especially in my case, where I'd have to risk everything in order to have this job done?"

Alcina felt a little pang of guilt. _Should she help him? Talon didn't realize that she might be risking it all too… did he not listen to her when she told him she had a probable chance of dying in Rusturf Tunnel? She didn't want to, but then again, Brendan was a lost cause… without him, and with little sense of direction, what else was she to do? She wasn't prepared nor excited about challenging the gym, but she couldn't just go back home almost empty handed, with the exception of her two little pokemon, disappointing Birch and her controlling mother both._ _How pointless would that be?_ Alcina was all against doing things for no reason, but her whole life seemed to have spun into a series of events for no reason in such a small amount of time. Alcina's wall of obstinate reasoning had definitely collapsed. She couldn't fight her newfound fate.

"Well I suppose…"

Talon jumped her with an enormous hug and pulled out his cell phone.

"Thank you so much! Thanks, again. You are undoubtedly amazing. This time, I'll make _sure_ you don't go unrewarded! No, not even without a…" He paused as a muffled voice vociferated from his mobile. Talon put his hand over the receiver briefly.

"Hold on a moment, Alcina." He took his hand off, his face sporting a boisterous grin.

"Hello? Mr. Briney? Yes! Oh, hah, I'm doing fine thank you. Yourself? How pleasant. Yes, it has been awhile. What's that? Oh! Excuse me, I'm terribly sorry. Erm, well, I wanted to tell you I have a little something I need your assistance on, if can you remember the deal we had from way back when…"

Alcina puffed, irate, and sat on a bench. "Yeah sure. Whatever Talon. You just keep talking. I'll just sit here, minding my own business, waiting for Brendan..." _Brendan! _Where the hell was Brendan _now_?

She got up from where she was resting and began to wander, close enough for Talon to see she was still there, but far enough so she could search for Brendan, which was useless, since it had most likely been a while since he had roamed off.

"Alcina!" Talon shouted as he noticed her further the distance between she and the sociopathic Devon worker.

"Yes…" Alcina stumbled over to him, taking her sweet time as he did the same in saying his goodbyes to his old comrade.

Talon finally hung up his cell, stuck it in his back pocket, and pointed south, where she had just come from not too long ago, though to her it felt like it had been ages.

Death can do that to someone.

"I'm afraid in order to get to Slateport, you will have to go back through the Petalburg Woods. Once you reach the outside, there should be a little cottage along the beach with a dock and a small boat in front, which belongs to Mr. Briney, the man that will bring you there. You shant miss it, for he's the only inhabitant living _outside_ the town of Petalburg."

Talon took a breath and Alcina, for once, patiently waited for him to finish.

"First, he will take you out to Dewford, which is a quaint little beach town, to rest, and then you'll go straight through to Slateport."

Alcina gritted her teeth. "Okay then… and where must I deliver this… thing…? I've never been to Slateport, but someone I met on the way over here told me it's a whopping city, bigger than Rustboro."

"Yes that is true, though my opinion states that Rustboro is nicer…" he coughed.

Like she cared about his opinion, she scoffed to herself.

"Anyhow, yes, I'm sorry, I was going to get there eventually. You must take it to Captain Stern in the Slateport Harbor. Be careful, however, I'm sure you'll run into more Team Aqua members… here, give me your cell number, just so we can check up on things."

Alcina mumbled something about how she would regret this further intrusion of privacy but knew she had no choice. She (more reluctantly than him) swapped digits with the Devon businessman. Talon looked back thoughtfully toward his work building.

"Well, I'm afraid I have to tell our Head in Chief about the goings on. He will be very pleased with you, as am I. Good luck, Alcina. The fate of the Devon Corporation… and Rayquaza knows what else… is in your hands. Farewell." He patted her shoulder kindly and began to strut away.

"Oh, and don't be afraid to call me either, if you run into any trouble!" Talon spun his head around in brief for the last time, shouting over his shoulder.

"I won't, trust me!" Alcina shouted back, waving. "In fact, I'll probably yell so loud your ears bleed if something goes wrong…" she added the last part to herself, almost looking forward to making him suffer. After all, this was in her hands now, as he said himself.

She swallowed her pride and nodded dutifully, taking the south route that would lead her to her destination… and possibly… her doom?

Time would only tell.

* * *

><p>"<em>You think that's the end of it, don't you?" <em>

The gargantuan wall screen portrayed a girl with wispy strands of chocolate hair peeping out from under a red beret. She was walking undoubtedly alone, with the exception of two mischievous pokemon by her side (in particular the peach colored kitten whom she seemingly could not control) through the Petalburg Woods.

The lanky man strutted away from the portrayal, his hands behind his back and his head faced down towards the bleak indigo tiles, eyes closed.

"What is it sir? What happens to be the problem?" A young man dressed in a blue militia outfit concocted compliantly, his grey eyes questioning his leader's discontent. Archie snapped his head up and growled instinctively.

"That girl…" He pointed to the teen and her companions waltzing out of the thicket as they hopped around victoriously. Archie grabbed a stone cup, completely obliterating it with an angry clench of his fist.

"…She has eliminated Maruto. He was one of my strongest grunts."

Archie continued to watch the girl with contempt. The young messenger gasped while shaking his head in disbelief.

"A young lady like that… she doesn't look like she could be responsible for the blame… for the end of a grown man, especially someone like Maruto… no, no. That's impossible. She may not be a run-of-the-mill ten year old trainer, but she still only looks seventeen or eighteen... and a novice trainer at that! It can't be!"

"Well, it can… and it _is._"

Archie reached for the remote to turn off the display, but changed his mind when he saw a rotund, old man and his wingull greet her with ease.

His young follower shook his head again with his mouth agape. "That isn't right! What proof do you have? I-I… don't mean to challenge your great judgment… and skill, but sir…"

"Ah-ha," he scrutinized the monitor with villainous reprisal, ignoring his insecure follower. "So she is taking the route of the sailor, Mr. Briney. How uncanny."

"Um… sir…?"

The young man poked his head around to see what the malevolent Archie was contemplating now.

"Who… who is that exactly? I mean, besides the fact that she… even though I don't believe it… was… _is_ responsible for the end of Maruto, why are you tracking her? Where did you even meet her?"

Archie sighed and spun around to face him, his eyes glowering with spite. "Her name would be Alcina. I have met her… once… on short notice… but that matter is irrelevant. What is imperative, however, is that this Jhotonese girl has not only killed one of my minions, but stepped in the way of my plans… more than enough times as of late…"

He turned off the picture and forcefully stepped down, practically ramming into the young man only to breeze past him.

"Gather up our army. Not just grunts, some of my stronger recruits. I have to stop this meddling before it goes too far."

"What… why, sir? Where are we going now?" The young man blinked.

"Don't question me." Archie grabbed his robe with alacrity.

"Well… I do have one… rather important… question…"

Archie held a tubular sphere, most likely to be used for carrying something of that shape, enclosed in a glass case. "I suppose. If it isn't worth my time I shall feed you to…"

"Yes, I know, sir… you shall feed me to Borknagar and I shall forever rot in vain…"

Archie threw on his robe intensely. "No." He snatched the youth's elbow and dragged him out of the dark lab, the metal doors snapping closed behind them.

"Not Borknagar. Alcatraz."

"Alcatraz?"

Archie let go of his confused follower. "Do I need to remind you? Who have I fed the most vile of persons to? Hmm?"

"Oh. _That_." He gulped and a swift moment of silence passed between them, his face paling at the mere thought.

"I was wondering… uh, sir... must I recruit Bruno and Axel as well…? Uh, and... where are we going exactly? I am rather lost, master Archie."

They continued to walk until they were outside, in front of Archie's spacious war craft jet. Archie motioned to another messenger, much like the former one he was talking to, and puffed in displeasure.

"Don't bring them, yet. There is a time and place for everything."

The latter messenger opened up the cockpit and Archie slinked towards it, preparing to go to his destination.

"Their time isn't yet. If this goes sour…"

Archie walked to the entrance and slipped inside. The latter young messenger followed him obediently and the former one, still confused about where they were going, tried to stop him before it was too late.

Unfortunately, the doors closed behind Archie and the latter follower, bathing their bodies in complete darkness and shadow, leaving the confused landlubber in the dust without a clue.

Archie, once inside the enclosed and shady aircraft, rubbed his hands together behind his back in contemplation, talking more to himself than the other. "If this goes sour…"

"What, sire?" His jet manager and airborne messenger, also youthful, questioned with a monotone voice.

"I'm afraid I shall have to kill."

"Kill who, sire?"

He snarled menacingly as a brief light flickered on and the engine roared.

_"Her."_


End file.
